THE AWARD: Patience Ahumuza, PR and Communications Manager, and Richard Luyombya, PR Lead at Sauti Plus after receiving the award
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) has awarded Sauti Plus the “Best Not-for-profit Campaign” for its social marketing campaign themed ‘Omanyi Okuwuga’ which aims at raising awareness around drowning prevention.
PRAU presented the award to Sauti Plus, a social behavioural change marketing and communications agency, at the 9th PRAU Excellence Award 2025 which took place on 4th December 2025 at Protea Hotel, Kampala.
The award recognizes the good use of marketing and communications to address socio-economic issues in Uganda.
Omanyi Okuwuga, a 2-year campaign implemented in partnership with Reach A Hand Uganda and other partners, targets high drowning-prone areas, including Mayuge, Masaka, and Rakai districts, following increased cases of drowning in those areas resulting from limited awareness.
Essentially, the campaign influences behavioural change by encouraging people to take swimming as a core life skill and consistently follow all water-safety precautionary measures, including wearing life jackets, avoiding boat overloading, and more.
Primarily, Omanyi Okuwuga uses both new and old media across Uganda to sensitize the public about water safety. In addition, it incorporates community and school outreaches to increase access to information about water safety and offers swimming lessons with a focus on survival swimming skills.
Ultimately, the initiative seeks to sway drowning policies, such as incorporating swimming lessons in school curricula, increasing enforcement, and improving emergency responses, as well as improving water transport infrastructure.
Whereas the latest Uganda Police annual crime report indicates a slight decline in drowning cases in 2024, it highlights that it remains the most significant water-related cause of death in the country.
A recent study by the Makerere University School of Public Health recorded over 1,435 fatal and non-fatal drowning cases across more than 60 districts between January 2016 and June 2018.
